Family Matters
by Shakye
Summary: This fic follows Emily (instead of Callie) and her sister Sara (instead of Jude) as they become a part of The Adams-Fosters household. Includes characters from South of Nowhere, PLL, Faking it and even a young Emma Swan (OUAT). TW : Viloence, language, child abuse, smut, non-con... See beginning of chapters. Femslash ! It's drama-filled and centers around Emily's POV.
1. Chapter 1 : First Impressions

**A/N:** This story is going to be drama-filled about an OC but in a universe where a lot of shows co-exist. It's going to be around 52 chapters and include characters from tv-shows like The Fosters (that's our OC's family), South of Nowhere, Pretty Little Liars, Once Upon a Time (just a young Emma Swan) and Faking It. TW: at the beginning of each chapter, there's a bit of everything (violence, child abuse, drugs, smut, non-con…) so check it to be sure. I will take a lot of Creative liberties with these shows to make it coherent. Don't get mad at me if things aren't exactly similar to the original show. I'll put the characters I use in each chapter in the A/N so you can check them out and you won't be lost. Also I will try to post at least every week.

And finally this is my first multi-chapter and I'm still new at writing so be kind with the reviews but I need them to get better. So tell me what you think!

I don't own any of the shows or their characters.

Characters you should check out before reading this chapter:

The Fosters

Arthur Carlin (South of Nowhere)

TW: mentions of violence

Enjoy!

* * *

Lena's POV

Lena is in her office, looking over the new budget to present at the school board next week, when her cell phone rings. She looks up from the paper and searches through her bag.

"I really need to sort through this mess." She mumbles.

She finally reaches it and answers without looking at the caller I.D.

"Hello, Lena? This is Arthur Carlin, the social worker who placed Jesus and Mariana with you. Do you remember me?" A disembodied voice, whom she thought she'd never hear again, calls from the speaker.

A million thoughts rush through her mind, mostly fears to be exact but she answers with a smile.

"Hi Arthur, yes I do. How are you? She replies, a bit anxious.

"I'm fine thanks, we actually moved to Fillmore with the kids, they'll be attending high school next week. Are you still the vice principal there? "

"Yes I am, can't wait to meet them. Do you have questions?" She relaxed a bit, this wasn't about the twins. She has this irrational fear that the social services would take them away, although they are adopted, so it's not that easy.

"No, thank you. Although they aren't happy with starting school in May, so they might be a bit grumpy on Monday." He jokes.

Lena smiles "aren't teenagers always grumpy anyway?"

"Yes, I suppose they are. But I'm not calling you about them, I need a favor." He answered with a grave tone, the one he used during the adoption process, his work tone.

"One of my charges is getting out of Juvenile Detention today. I have no home for her right now, so she'll have to go in a group home. She's bound to get in trouble there." He took a breath before carrying on. "I think she has issues with male authority, it never ends well. But she's a great kid, really. I think you guys could be good for her and I promise you, it wouldn't be for long, just a couple weeks."

"I don't know Arthur, that's a lot to ask." Lena replies, not sure what to say.

"I know, I know. Maybe just go see her, and if you're not feeling it, I'll take her to the group home in Ventura. She's at the Youth Correctional Facility in Oxnard, and she should be out by 6 pm. Please Lena, she has nowhere else to go." He sounded defeated.

She felt a bit of guilt. "I can't promise you anything, I'll talk to Stef."

"Ok. I'll be at the Facility at 5.45 pm, I hope you'll come. But anyway thanks for hearing me out. Have a nice day"

"You too Arthur." And she ends the call.

She really doesn't know what to do, so she dials Stef phone number. It keeps ringing for a while until it reaches voicemail:

" _Hey it's Stef. I'm either working or avoiding your call._ _Please leave a message."_

Lena smiles and leaves her a message:

"Hi Babe, Remember Arthur Carlin from the twins' adoption? He called me about a girl who needs a place to stay for a few weeks. It sounds like it's either us or a group home. She's in juvie until tonight, I don't know why. But Arthur said she's a great kid. I'm gonna go meet her at 6 pm and see from there. Please call me back, we need to talk about this."

She ends the call and checks the clock, it's 3:45 pm. So she takes the budget and tries to focus on it, hoping for Stef to call back. At about 5:10 pm, she finishes up her notes and checks her phone again. No missed calls.

She gets up with a sigh, puts her handbag on her shoulder and leaves. The corridors are all empty. Extra-curricular activities usually don't last more than 2 hours, so by 5pm the school is deserted. She reaches the parking lot and enters her black station wagon. On the 30 minute drive, she can't stop thinking about the girl. She wonders how the twins would have turned out if they were still in the system. And maybe that kid just needs a place to breathe for a few weeks until Arthur finds her a home. How could they refuse?

She arrives just a few minutes before 6 and rushes towards the entrance, checking her phone one last time. No missed calls. She sighs and reaches Arthur.

"Hi Arthur, it's nice to see you again". She says with a smile as he turns around.

"You too Lena, although I wish it were under better circumstances". He returns her smile. "I'm happy you're here. The girl's name is Emily Finnegan. She's 15."

Lena nods. A few moments later, a dark-blonde girl, smaller than her and quite skinny appeared at the door of the facility. She was very pale and was wearing a black and white baseball tee and a light blue baggy jean, dirty-looking and ripped at the knee.

When she arrived in front of her and Arthur, Lena noticed her face. The girl was pretty, with bright blue eyes and a thin jaw line but had a bloody lip, a visible cut on her eyebrow and a black eye was developing, causing Lena to rethink her decision.

"What happened? And why was she in juvie" She asks, remembering she forgot to ask earlier.

"She got into a fight" Arthur sighs. "When a kid gets out, others get jealous and beat them up. And she was in juvie for destruction of property." He continues.

"Arthur, I'm sorry but I can't bring someone violent into my home, I have 3 kids." Lena states firmly.

"I wouldn't ask you too. It was a onetime thing, I assure you. Emily's a good kid but she's been through a lot, she just needs a good home." Arthur tries desperately.

Lena looks at the teen in front of her. She's frowning and looks tense, hands clenched in fists, like she's about to fight or run. But Lena notices her eyes, and tries to decipher what's going on behind. She sees anger and pain towards Arthur, but when they stare back at her, they're soft, almost pleading. Lena sighs.

"Just a couple of weeks huh?" Lena makes sure.

"Yes, yes. And if there's any problem, just call and I'll pick her up immediately. I'm not far." He says with a smile, hope in his eyes.

"Where's Sara?" The girl asks, with a low angry voice.

"I can't talk to you about it now, Kid. Come to my office tomorrow after school and I'll fill you in. Ok?" He replies with a soft tone.

She glares at him. "I don't really have a choice, do I? Is she fine at least?" Her expression changes immediately to concern.

He smiles weakly. "Yes she is, don't worry" he turns to Lena. "I'll check in tomorrow night, to make sure everything's settled. Thanks again Lena". He turns to his car and gets in.

"Ok so I'm Lena Adams. Nice to meet you Emily" She says with a warm smile.

"Yeah, you too." The girl answers, focused on shooting daggers towards Arthur's moving car.

"Well, I'm parked over there, follow me." She says, clearly uncomfortable, and walks over to the car.

Emily's POV

Emily doesn't answer and just follows. They enter the car and start driving. She crosses her legs and leans her head on the window looking outside. She likes car rides, nothing bad happens in them. It's just point A to point B and if she's lucky, she doesn't even have to make small talk and is able to think, or daydream, which is rare.

The past two weeks were hard, she was always on alert. She never got involved with the others. She just wanted to lay low and stay alone. This made her an easy target. So she got into a few small fights over food or just because she was in the wrong place. One of the "leaders" of a group got her yard privileges taken away because of one of these fights. Which led her take her revenge on Emily this morning.

But back to her current situation. She doesn't know what to expect. The woman seems nice, and she cares about her kids. Well that's what it looks like. But Emily isn't one of her kids, so how will she be treated? And most importantly, she needs to find a phone. She's dragged out of her thoughts by Lena's voice.

"Nice chucks, pretty vintage. I bought the same ones when I was a teenager" She smiles.

"They belonged to one of my foster mom's". She saw Lena's frown and chuckled. "I didn't steal them. She gave them to me for my birthday. I loved the golden brown color and the red tartan interior. I was obsessed and she didn't wear them anymore, so she gave me a speech about how they were from 1974 and she had her first kiss in them so I had to really take care of them." She finishes with a smile.

"It seems you did, they're in pretty good condition" Lena replies. "Are you still in contact with her?"

Emily looked away, answering in an empty voice. "No she died when I was 13."

"I'm sorry". Lena says in a soft voice.

Emily doesn't answer. They spend the rest of the ride in silence. She's more at ease, Lena looks like one of the good ones. But as they arrive in front of 2330 Taylor Lane, she feels anxiety creeping up.

Lena must have sensed this because she says with a smile: "Don't worry, the only danger in there is three hungry teenagers, you'll fit right in."

Emily smiles back but isn't convinced. As she walks up the path, she feels herself slipping in what she calls defense mode. Basically it's anger building up instead of fear. So that if there's a danger, she won't freeze but lash out. Not very convenient in social situations but it kept her alive until now.

Lena opens the door in front of her and leads her in. The house is big with a dining room on the right and a large sitting room on the left. It feels warm with the apparent wood and carpet floors. They go through the dining room and into the kitchen at the back of the house. Lena disappears in a utility room on the left so Emily waits on a stool on the long island in the center, looking at everything, especially the knives' location.

Lena comes back and throws her a towel "Here, if you want to wash up a bit while I cook the lasagna".

She catches the towel easily and moves without a word to the sink. She washes her hands and scrubs the dried blood from under her nails. Then she ties her hair in a messy bun, before splashing water on her face. She winces a bit at the sting but keeps scrubbing the blood from her lips and from the cut on her eyebrow. She winces again when she pads the water from her face with the towel, pressing on her forming black eye.

"Are you ok?" Lena walks over to her, concerned.

Emily takes immediately a step back "Yeah I'm fine thanks". She says abruptly, and looks down. She sees blood on the towel. Her own blood runs cold. "Hum, I put blood on your towel, I'm sorry. I'll clean it I promise." She tries to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Hey don't worry" Lena takes a step towards her and extends her hand to put it on her shoulder. Emily practically jumps back, so she stops and lets her hand fall.

She says as softly as possible "It's ok, you're not in trouble. I'll clean the towel with the rest of the laundry. You're safe here, nobody will hurt you, for anything. You don't have to be scared of us."

Emily believes her, which is insane, it never ends well. But still, she feels herself relax a bit and when Lena approaches again, she doesn't move. And when she takes the towel from her hands, she barely flinches. She feels a smile creep up and Lena smiles back, visibly relaxing herself.

But then she hears shouting coming from the stairs and immediately tenses up, smile disappearing.

"Mama, it's 7 o'clock, when are we eating?" a younger girl asks as soon as she enters.

"Yeah I'm starving". A boy asks as he enters on her heels.

"Jesus, Mariana, this is Emily, she'll be staying with us for a couple of weeks, so be nice. The lasagna is practically done, so set the table. Emily, please take a seat." She adds with a smile.

Emily stays expressionless as she sits to the nearest stool on the far end of the wooden island. The twins talk about their day with Lena, while setting placemats, forks, knives and glasses in front of every seat, except the one in front of Emily. Good, she won't have to entertain anybody. They may even forget about her after a while. She's taken back to reality when a boy about her age enters.

"Hey Brandon! How did the competition go?" Lena asks just as she places the lasagna at the center of the table.

"He won!" answers a female voice from behind Emily. She resists the urge to turn around. "Who's this?" She continues. Emily can practically feel the stare on her back.

"Sit down, Honey. I'll explain." Lena gestures to a stool in the middle of the Island, and Stef sits down, still observing the blonde teenager. Jesus starts serving everybody's plates.

"Emily you can sit beside Stef, she won't bite." She smiles sympathetically.

Emily was so engrossed in her thoughts earlier that she didn't notice her place wasn't set. She slides to the stool on her right, in front of Brandon, and on Stef's' left. Besides Brandon is Mariana and besides her is Jesus.

Lena clears her throat. "Ok everyone, so this is Emily". Emily takes a long sip of water to avoid eye contact. "She's here because she doesn't have anywhere else to go for now, and Arthur asked me to take her in for a couple of weeks". She pauses, and Emily can feel the eyes on her, so she keeps drinking.

"This is Brandon, Mariana and Jesus" She points to each one in turn before turning towards Stef. "And this is my partner Stef" Emily puts her glass down and finally turns to look at her new foster mother. She practically spits out her water when she sees the police uniform.

"Is there a problem?" Stef asks, noticing the odd reaction.

"No ma'am." Emily answers automatically but she can't contain the smile on her face. After the day she had, this was just the icing on her fucked up life.

"Really? Does the fact that I'm a police officer bother you Emily?" Stef asks, eyes narrowed.

"It's just funny, Artie went all out with this one. No male authority, a police officer AND a vice-principal in the house so I really can't fuck up, not to mention actually adopted twins and what are you?" She turns to Brandon.

"He's my biological son from a previous marriage" Stef answers in a forceful voice.

Emily chuckles darkly but keeps her focus on Brandon: "So you're the real kid? How lucky…"

She regrets what she said immediately but she can't keep the anger at bay.

"That's enough Emily, the twins are as much our kids as Brandon is."

Emily looks at Lena, trying to find a trace of dishonesty, but couldn't find any. So she sighs and pushes the anger down. To hell with precautions, she felt guilty.

"Ok I'm sorry. I had a rough day, but I shouldn't have said that, clearly it's not true." She said the last bit directly to the twins. They soften a bit, Jesus even nods at her.

"So are we going to have a problem, Emily?" Stef clearly was a cop.

"I'm not a fan of your profession, but I won't cause any trouble." Emily said with a reassuring smile, but Stef kept staring at her.

"So how was the competition Brandon?" Lena said, finally touching her food.

And everyone started eating too. The conversation kept going about their respective days, Lena always asking questions to everyone except Emily. She was left in peace, gulping down her lasagna. When she finished, Lena kept serving her a new piece, and she smiled each time, as a thank you. When she reached the end of her third piece, she politely declined.

"Man you eat like, well… A man" Jesus said, smiling kindly. "And what happened to your face?"

"Jesus, seriously? I thought we raised you better!" Stef scowls him.

"No it's fine, he's right. I do eat a lot and fast, it's a habit." She says with a smile, but loses it quickly when she's about to talk about her face. "As for my face, well, hum… I got into a fight. A girl was mad at me and she decided to kick my ass with her friends. Let's say I got out of it pretty well."

"Ok let's go everyone it's nearly 8, and I want everyone's homework finished by 9:30. Bed is at 10." Stef cuts the discussion short.

They all put their plates, knives and forks in the dishwasher before going upstairs. Emily doesn't really know where to go but is called by Stef.

"Emily, can I talk to you for a minute?" Stef gesture for the stool across from her. Lena sits by her partner's side.

Emily crosses the room and sits on the stool. She knows what's next: the house rules. You can always tell by the rules if the guardians are insane or not.

"We have a few rules here." Stef starts. Emily nods, bracing herself for the answer she's been waiting for since 6 pm this evening: should she trust them?

"There's a curfew on week nights at 7 pm. 11 on weekends. Don't leave the house without asking us first, and no cutting classes. While you're here, you'll be attending Fillmore High."

"That's where I work" Lena provides with a smile.

"Any questions?". Stef asks, rather nicely.

"Hum, where will I be sleeping?". Emily tries to sound casual, but really that was on her mind the whole day.

"We don't have any spare beds so on the couch" Lena says apologetically.

"That's ok, a couch is fine". Emily replies with a genuine smile. A mattress is a mattress. "Hum, can I go to the couch?". She felt exhausted.

Stef smiles, amused, while Lena chuckles lightly before answering "Sure I'll bring you pillows and a sleeping bag in a few."

Emily smiles "Thanks".

Emily is asleep on the couch, when she feels something bringing her back to reality. She jolts right up, panting and looking for a threat. After a few seconds of blinking, she realizes it was Lena, tugging at her shoulder. The older woman looks scared so Emily apologizes.

"I'm sorry I was having a nightmare, did I hurt you?" Emily already feels guilty.

Lena manages a smile "No, no don't worry. I was just startled, that's all. Here's the pillow and sleeping bag". She puts them down on the edge of the couch. "But can I ask you a question?" She asks softly.

"Thanks and yeah sure." She answers with a smile, secretly loathing questions.

"You don't have to answer but who's Sara?" Emily's eyes widen in shock, where did she learn that name?

"It's just, you asked about her at the Facility and you were mumbling her name in your sleep. Maybe I can help" She adds gently.

Emily ponders telling her the truth. After all Lena was nice to her all evening, even though Emily acted like a bitch.

"I, hum…" Emily starts but is interrupted by Stef's appearance in the living room.

"Hey honey, it's getting late. We need to get to bed." She says, realizing she interrupted something. "Oh I'm sorry, I'll go back up. Goodnight Emily." She adds with a smile before turning back.

"Goodnight Stef. It's ok Lena, maybe some other time." Emily replied with a fake smile. She highly doubted that, but she said it anyway to please Lena.

Lena sighs. "Ok do you have a toothbrush?" Emily shakes her head. "Pajamas?". She adds. Emily shakes her head again. "All my stuff is at my last foster house. They didn't let me bring anything when they arrested me." She elaborates.

"Ok. We'll get you what you need tomorrow. There're spare toothbrushes in the basket on the right from the sink. Any preferences in sleepwear?". Lena asks with an amused smile.

"Well I'm not really picky, I'll take what I can. But if you have an old t-shirt and boxer shorts around, I wouldn't say no." Emily smiles back.

"Old t-shirt and boxers it is". Lena says triumphantly, happy to provide a bit of comfort to the teenager. "Bathroom is upstairs, second door on the right.' She adds before disappearing towards the kitchen, probably to the utility room.

Emily gets up and climbs the stairs. The upper floor has wooden floors and there are 5 doors in the landing. One of the doors on the left is open and she spots a cell phone on a night table. She approaches and sees Brandon playing piano with headphones on. Perfect. She looks one last time behind her before stepping in and snatching the phone. She hastily pockets it and walks towards the bathroom. She makes it just in time before Lena appears, smiling.

"You found the toothbrushes?" She asks kindly.

Emily feels a pang of guilt at stealing from her son, well barrowing would be more accurate but still. She looks back, takes one, before turning around again. "Yep!". She answers with a smile.

"Good. It's late so don't take too much time ok? Goodnight." She says kindly before leaving.

"Goodnight." She says sadly, to no one, locking the door. She feels like crap. First, she steps towards the toilet. She pees quickly before going back to the sink and washing her hands. As she brushes her teeth, she looks at her reflection. She's skinnier than before, but her arms are still strong. The bruise on her eye is yellowish. It looks gross. Her lip and eyebrow still sting but it should heal nicely. Her complexion is really pale though. She's always had light skin for the region, never really tanning. Just burning. Probably the Irish blood in her. But now she looked sickly, and the bags under her eyes didn't help. She feels the anger towards her last foster father building up again. She spent two weeks hating him and plotting a way to get Sara out of his house to run away from the system. She had enough.

She spits out the toothpaste angrily and cleans the toothbrush quickly before putting it in the trash. She doesn't plan on staying long.

She gets back down and smiles a little when she sees an old black Nirvana t-shirt and red tartan boxers, like the inside of her chucks, waiting on the couch for her. She sits down before getting the phone out of her pocket. Thank god Brandon didn't lock it with a code. She quickly dials one of the few numbers she knows by heart, dreading every unanswered second.

Finally a sleepy voice greets her: "Hello? Who's this?"

"Hi sweetie keep your voice down, it's Emily. How are you?" She answers, joyful tears blurring her vision.

"Em? It's really you? Why didn't you call before? I was so scared…"The trembling in her small voice breaks Emily's heart.

"I'm so sorry Sara, they wouldn't let me call. But they released me today. So I'm coming for you tomorrow night. Keep your phone near you, pack your things and keep a low profile ok?." She sniffs and shakes the tears away.

"Ok I will, I can't wait. I should go, William might wake up and take my phone away again. I love you Em!" Sara replies, excitedly.

"I love you too, Sis." Emily replies, smiling, before ending the call.

She feels a bit better than before, knowing her sister isn't badly hurt. But she knows the guy, and sooner or later he's going to hit her again. She feels determined to get to Mettler the next day, but right now she's barely keeping her eyes open. So she quickly changes into her pj's, wincing when she puts her arms up. She looks down and sees a big yellow and purple patch on her right ribs. She also notices that her breasts are even smaller than before, probably barely a B-cup now. She finishes pulling her shirt down with a last silent wince.

She opens the sleeping bag and slips into it, quickly falling into a restless slumber, filled with nightmares as usual.


	2. Chapter 2 : New place, old furniture

**A/N:** Hey guys! So I finished this early because I'll be busy this weekend and won't be able to post. This story starts in May, not October (Sorry I messed up on the 1st chapter but it's changed now).

Characters to check out:

The Fosters family

Spencer Carlin (South of Nowhere)

TW : Language, guns, violence and child abuse

Hope you enjoy !

* * *

 _She's coming back to William's house from swimming in Lake Piru, like every evening. As she walks up the pathway to the main entrance she checks the time. It's about 7 pm. Shit Sara must already be home, and alone with him._

 _As she approaches, she hears screaming. A little girl's scream to be exact. She lets her backpack fall off her shoulder and runs through the wooden door. The sight that greets her is her worst nightmare. William, a bald 47 year-old bulky man, is holding her sister by the scruff of her neck, several feet off the ground. He's shouting at her about his dead wife, tears in his eyes._

 _Emily's mind froze for a second, but the shock passes and she rushes to him, punching and kicking him. He doesn't seem to register, lost in pure rage. So she runs up the stairs to her room, grabs her softball bat and runs back down. She screams at him to stop, terrified of the paleness of her sister, still caught in his massive hands. He doesn't stop his rant about some picture frame of his wife Sara broke. Emily feels rage filling her too and she runs back to them before hitting him hard on his back with the bat. He lets go of Sara for a moment, just to push Emily forcefully with one hand. She stumbles backwards and slams in the wall behind, hitting it head first. She feels dizzy but pushes herself back up, now witnessing him strangling her little sister. She looks frantically around the room for a better weapon and remembers his beloved muscle car in front of the house. She doesn't think twice about it and runs out. As she reaches the car she lifts the bat and smashes the headlights. The alarm goes off, but she continues, now moving to the windshield. As the glass brakes, she sees people gathering around. She doesn't care and jumps on top of the car to hammer the roof._

 _She made quite a dent when she feels herself pulled by the legs. She falls on the concrete ground, hitting her chin on the side mirror. She looks up and sees William, face red, about to kick her in the face when police sirens are heard. She sighs, thinking they're safe now. He lifts her up and drags her to the police car as it arrived. Officer Chester, a seasoned cop with a horrible moustache comes out. Emily's blood runs cold. At that point she knows things won't go well for her. She starts telling him what happened, but he stops her immediately, turning her around by the shoulders and slamming her against the muscle car's hood. He cuffs her and pushes her in the squad car. She keeps yelling for them to check on Sara but they won't listen._

When Emily wakes up, she's panting and staring right at Stef. She looks around the room, wide-eyed, gradually remembering where she is. That's when she notices Stef's hands on her shoulders. She jumps up, scared. Stef smiles kindly, seemingly understanding.

"Hey it's ok, you were having a nightmare. It's 7:15, and Lena leaves at 7:45 to go to school. You looked exhausted last night so we let you sleep as much as possible but you really have to get up. Breakfast is on the table and if you want to take a shower, let me or Lena know. We'll set you up."

Emily is still a bit shaken. "Uh thanks, I think I should get breakfast first. But I'll definitely need one after".

"Ok, follow me" Stef replies neutrally.

As they arrive in the kitchen, Emily is greeted by what can only be described as chaos. Lena is at the stove, cooking bacon, while yelling at Jesus about his ADHD medication, which Stef joins in on immediately. Mariana is talking loudly on the phone while finishing homework and eating pancakes. Jesus is elbowing Brandon each time he tries to drink, causing him to spill orange juice on Mariana's homework, resulting in a shouting match between the teenagers. Stef sighs and kisses Lena good morning.

Emily smiles, amused and goes to the coffee pot, grabbing a mug on the way. She pours it before taking her first sip. She smiles at the more than welcomed bitterness, before turning around and taking the same seat as yesterday at the island.

"Hum, do you want sugar or cream with that?" Stef asks, clearly amused.

Emily looks up from her mug to find all eyes on her. She blushes before answering. "No thanks, I like it like that"

Once the shock is passed a big debate irrupts about why Emily was allowed coffee and not the other kids. Lena goes around the island and sets a plate with bacon, eggs and pancakes in front of Emily. She smiles gratefully and starts tearing into it.

After a few minutes, she's done and finishes her now lukewarm coffee in one gulp.

Stef notices and goes to the utility room, coming back a few moments later with a towel. She goes to Emily, and says with a warm tone: "There you go, you'll find shampoo and soap in the shower. Mariana can lend you clothes if you want to change."

"No thanks. I'll put back my clothes from yesterday, they're not that dirty." She answers unconvinced. They probably were, but filthy clothes beat whatever Mariana has in her closet. She's way too girly for Emily, and she needs to be comfortable for facing William, although she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Ok. Lena will bring you to the mall after school to get what you need. Wait for her near the car after 6th period. I should be gone." Stef answers, checking her watch in the process. "Bye guys, have a good day!"

She's answered by "thanks you too" from the kids and "be careful" from Lena. Stef smiles at her family and leaves the kitchen.

Emily gets up, puts her dishes in the dishwasher and leaves the room too. She checks her small black false leather watch, it's 7: 25. She stares at it as she climbs the stairs with yesterday's clothes in a bundle under her arm. It was a gift from Sara for her last birthday. She truly loves it, and it reminds her of her sister. As she enters the bathroom, dark thoughts creep up on her. What happened after she was arrested? Did William calm down? She doubted it.

She quickly undresses, only keeping the military U.S Marine Corps dog tags around her neck. She never took them off, for as long as she can remember. On it you can read:

FINNEGAN

D. F. O NEG

443 12 7512

USMC M

CHRISTIAN

She read it again, trying to figure out who D. F. Finnegan is. They must be related but she doesn't know how. She asked her father once, when she was younger. He completely lost it and she received one of the worst beatings of her life. She never mentioned it again after that.

She frowns at the memory and steps into the shower. Like everything, she doesn't take her time and 5 minutes later, she steps out, her hair dripping wet with a strong apple scent. She took the first shower gel she found and now her skin smelled like strawberries. Not bad.

As she dries herself with the towel, she checks her right ribs. They're purple now and still hurt when she lifts her arm, but they're not broken. Good.

She brushes her hair and teeth before putting on her clothes. She's down the stairs at 7:44 precisely. If there's a thing she learned is never be late. Bad things happen when you're late.

The teenagers run passed her to the bathroom to brush their teeth, while an irritated Lena opens the front door: "You have two minutes guys! Then I'm leaving with or without you." She yells towards the stairs.

"Come on, we'll wait in the car." She adds forcefully towards Emily.

Emily frowns at the tone but convinces herself it's nothing. She passes the threshold and walks towards the station-wagon. She hesitates between the front and the back. Lena notices.

"You can sit in front, it'll teach Brandon to be on time." She says with a smile.

Emily relaxes, it really was nothing. She gets in and buckles up.

"I wish they would've been on time. You need to get your schedule and the school's map at my office before you can get to your 1st period class. So you're going to be late. I'll walk you to class so you won't get in trouble but it's not ideal." Lena says apologetically.

"Great." She answered irritated. She hates new schools. She's the weird kid, with cheap clothes and no friends. By the time people forget about her, she moves to a new school and it starts over again. This time though she'll make a grand entrance with the vice principal on top of that.

Lena is about to say something when the back doors open. The three siblings enter the car, Brandon starting to argue about his place, but he's immediately shut down by Lena's angry glare.

The car ride is silent and lasts only 5 minutes. They arrive at 7:55 at the school's parking lot. Everyone scatters out, not bothering to say goodbye since they'll probably see each other in the halls or in class anyway. Emily slowly follows Lena through the main entrance. She's secretly dreading entering class. She hates the attention, being the gossip of the school body, being judged immediately without even saying a word. She tries desperately to convince herself that she doesn't care what people think but that's not true, like all teenagers she does.

They arrive in front of Lena's office, and she tells Emily to take a seat beside a blonde girl. She looks to be around the same age as her, with a kind face. She's dressed simply, in a plaid blue skirt, stopping above the knee and a white long sleeved shirt. The girl looks up to Emily and smiles.

"Hi. I'm Spencer. I'm new here".

"Emily. I'm new too." Emily eyes the blonde with curious eyes.

"I moved here from Fairmead, county Madera. It's a small town, you wouldn't know it. What about you?" She says excitedly.

"Well, hum I wasn't that far. I was in Bakersfield High School. It's north of the mountains." She says distractedly, glaring at the clock. At 8:05 o'clock sharp, the bell rings. She sighs, disappointed. She really hoped she didn't have to be late.

Spencer continues the discussion, clearly trying to make a friend.

"Hey what kind of club do you want to join? I was a cheerleader in Fairmead, so I'm going to try out here too. The season is almost over but maybe they'll have a spot for next year. You look athletic, maybe you could try out with me?" The blonde adds hopefully.

Emily starts laughing: "Sorry, but I won't be staying long I think. And even if I were, cheerleading would be the last thing I'd want to do. Dancing and cheering teenage boys seems like a waste of time to me. "

She finishes with a smile. "But good luck."

Spencer frowns and is about to reply something but Lena interrupts, handing out their schedules and maps.

"There you go. You have the same 1st period on Mondays, English. So that's where we'll be headed. For the electives and AP or honors class, you'll have to see with Miss Danvers here. You have until the end of the week to sort it out. If something is missing, we'll see about summer school so that you won't be penalized for College. Ok you won't be too late if we go now. Questions will have to wait." She seems a bit stressed out.

As the three of them make their way through the hallway, Lena tells them about their teacher Mr. Fitz. He's young and very well liked by the student body.

They reach Mr. Fitz's class, and Emily notices Spencer tensing. She sighs, kicking herself mentally for being nice.

"Hey, don't worry, they'll barely notice you. I have ripped jeans, no schoolbag and a black eye. You'll be fine. I'm the cool, mysterious new girl." Emily says with a smile, hoping she didn't come across as a pompous ass.

Spencer chuckles lightly. It worked it seems. Lena nods towards Emily, before opening the door.

The class falls silent as the girls enter behind Lena. As expected, all eyes are on Emily. Lena whispers something into Mr. Fitz's ear while Emily takes a seat in front of the desk, the last place she wanted to be but also the last place in the classroom. Spencer doesn't have a choice either and sits on her right.

Lena leaves the room with a last smile towards Emily, and the whispering starts. Emily blocks it out, not wanting to hear her peers' opinions on her. After a few moments, Mr. Fitz starts the lesson again, it's about George Orwell's novel "Down and Out in Paris and London". She hates the novel, it's very well written, and probably a masterpiece, but it hits a bit close to home sometimes.

She's dragged out of her thoughts by the teacher's calm voice.

"Emily, why aren't you taking notes, are you lost?"

She frowns, of course she completely forgot to ask for a pen and paper from Lena. Truth is, she probably would have written everything down, just in case there was something new there. She's a very good student, surprisingly. At first it was about college, getting a scholarship and escaping her life. But now, she can't abandon Sara, so it's just about curiosity and pride. When she gets an A, she feels normal, and proud of herself. It makes her actually happy for a while.

"I'm sorry, I don't have anything to write on or with. It's a bit complicated, but I don't have my school stuff with me. I did read this novel at my last school though, so I'm not lost." She assures.

"Ok can you tell me what is the part that impressed you the most?" He asks nicely, bringing her a pen and a few sheets of papers from his desk.

"Hum, sure…" She answers confused. This was a weird question. She expected a brief summary, or the meaning behind one of the chapters or even an analysis of the writing style.

She takes the items and continues.

"The most impressive part of the novel, for me, was the ending. Basically he states that even though he hasn't seen all the horrors of poverty, he acknowledges there's more. He learned things from people who are supposed to be worthless and replaceable. Also, this experience made him change his attitude towards different aspects of his everyday life, helping him understand the world he lives in a bit better. I think it's a good lesson about compassion and seeking understanding of things you don't know because you'll be surprised. That's what literature is about for me, showing people things that are under their noses but they don't necessarily see or understand and make them think about it. So that's what impressed me, because I didn't expect it." She finished her passionate rant, a bit embarrassed, and was surprised when Mr. Fitz pressed her on with a smile.

"Why didn't you expect that?"

"Because the author's from a middle class family. He never knew true poverty, even when he voluntarily became a tramp, he had help. So I thought he treated it as an adventure more than an actual social piece until that ending. Honestly, I think it's a bit of both." She finished, way more relaxed than what she would've thought.

"Thank you. That was very interesting. I'll leave you be, but take notes, no more excuses" He says with a smile before continuing his lesson.

Emily just nods and starts writing down what he says. At 9:07, the bell rings and everybody leaves like a shot. She's about to do the same, when her teacher calls out to her and Spencer.

"Hey Emily, Spencer, can I talk to you?" He asks kindly.

"Sure". She replied a bit worried, and doesn't move from beside her desk. Spencer doesn't answer and just stands near the door.

He addresses Emily first.

"You can keep the pen and paper, you'll need those for the rest of the day." Then he turns to both of them.

"School finishes the 9th of June, so there's about a month left. There's going to be a creative paper due for the 13th of May on adventure. Basically describe a fictional adventure in 750 words. There's also a written exam on Orwell's book on the 27th of May. Read the book and pay attention for the rest of class and you should be fine. Any questions?" He asks. The girl's don't answer so after a few moments, he dismisses them with a smile.

"Ok you can leave, see you next week."

They both leave without a word and as soon as they reach the hallway, Spencer immediately rushes left, probably to her next lesson. Emily has a free period, since she doesn't have any electives, so she figures she could use a nap. On her way to the park right outside school, she hears piano. It's beautiful, and she can't help herself. She approaches the music room, guided by the sound. As she enters, the melody stops and she sees Brandon righting something on a notepad. That's when she remembers his phone in her pocket. She sighs, time to give it back.

"So I'm guessing it was a music competition you won yesterday? Do you play anything other than classical music? " She asks with a smile, genuinely curious.

"Hum, yeah it was and no, I stick to the classics. Aren't you supposed to be in class?" he asks defensively.

Well, someone's in a good mood. She decides to just get on with it.

"No, I have free period. Look I borrowed your phone last night. I needed to call someone. I'm sorry I didn't ask but it was important, I swear." She puts on her best "innocent" face. It seems to work because he visibly softens up.

"Ok. Just ask next time. I would've given it to you." He says with a small smile.

An awkward silence settles between the teenagers until Emily spots an acoustic guitar in the corner.

"Can I borrow the guitar? I haven't played in two weeks." She asks with a smile, already grabbing it.

"Sure, just don't break it." He half-jokes.

"I'm not 4. It'll be fine". She answers distractedly.

She sets herself on a stool and starts jamming. Brandon joins in and by the time the bell rings, they have a pretty solid duet. They smile at each other knowingly.

"Not bad for a classical guy." She teases him.

"Not bad for a delinquent" He answers playfully.

"Well I've got History in 3rd period, gotta go." She puts the guitar back and heads out.

"See you around." He yells at her back.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. Emily was on time, used to finding her way through new schools and got seats in the back in both her classes. After History, she had Biology, her favorite subject. She already knew all about cell reproduction so it was a bit boring.

She skips lunch to go the bus station in the center of the town. It wasn't far, a 15 minute walk, but once there, she has a hard time finding a bus to Mettler. They all went through to Bakersfield but didn't stop. Mettler was a really small town between the Mountains on the south and Bakersfield, the major city north.

She finally finds one who stops there but it doesn't leave until 2:30 pm. She sighs and goes back to school. She'll come back after 5th period.

5th period was the subject she liked the least: Physical Education. She didn't hate sports. On the contrary, physical activity usually helped her calm down. But at school, it was always horrible. She was never chosen on teams because she had no friends. She wasn't included in the games so she always had to make up her grades with individual sports and people made fun of her men's basketball shorts, the only sportswear she owns. Because she stole it from a foster father.

Fortunately for her, since she didn't have the proper attire, she was left on the bleachers. At the end of the period she left school, cutting her last class of the day: Social studies.

She arrived at the bus station at 2:15, unaware that she was followed. She was about to get on the bus when Brandon showed up behind her.

"Where are you going?" He asked with a frown. Emily thought he looked a bit hurt.

"It's none of your business." She answers harshly.

"Well, you're under my mom's responsibility, so if I were you, I'd give a good reason as to why I shouldn't call them right away." He challenges her.

She knew she shouldn't have given him his phone back. She sighs.

"Fine, don't call. I have a little sister, Sara. She's still with my last foster father. He's unstable and gets violent sometimes. I smashed his car with a bat because he lost it on my sister and I had to make him stop. The cops didn't believe me and arrested me for destruction of property. I'm going to get her."

She glares at him. "Happy? Can I go now?"

He ponders his answer a few seconds then answers. "Yeah, but I'm coming…" Emily is about to interrupt him but he holds up a hand. "What if you need back up? You never know what could happen and your sister's safety should be your priority, not your pride."

Emily is about to argue back, but he's right, she can't refuse a hand, not after what happened last time. She sighs, defeated.

"And I have to make sure you come back tonight. You're not running away that easily." He adds with a smile before going to the counter to buy a ticket, leaving a shocked Emily to enter the bus.

Fuck, how did he know? Emily had planned to take Sara and her stuff from William's house and then take the bus to San Francisco. They had friends there who could make them new I.D's, and then she would find a job and take care of Sara out of the system.

She finds a place at the back and settles against the window. Brandon arrives a few minutes later and sits down beside her. Shortly after, the bus starts and they begin to move.

"How did you know I would cut class?" She says, curiously.

"I didn't. But I saw you leaving school after 5th period, which was odd since you were supposed to wait for Mama. So I followed you, making sure you weren't doing anything that could put my moms in trouble." He answers matter-of-factly.

She nods. "Ok, but this really isn't your business, you don't have to come." She feels a bit concerned, this could go horribly wrong.

"Well, no you're right but I want to." He says simply.

She chuckles, unbelieving. "Why?"

"I don't know." He replies honestly.

Emily searches his face. He doesn't appear to be lying but she isn't sure. She sighs and leans her head against the window. After a while, she dozes off.

It's an hour drive to Mettler, and by 3:35 they're approaching their stop.

Brandon shakes Emily lightly, to wake her up. She jolts upright with a flash, eyes wide looking around her.

"Hey, we're practically there we should go to the exit" He doesn't notice the panic in her eyes and gets up.

She takes a moment to remember where she is before following him. She shakes those thoughts away as the bus comes to a stop and they get off. She starts walking towards the elementary school.

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Brandon asks with a serious tone.

"We pick up my sister at school. With a bit of luck she'll still be there. Then we go to William's house, get our stuff and come back here to get the bus. He shouldn't be home, but if he is, things will get messy." She warns him.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He says with a smile. He had no idea.

She doesn't answer as they arrive at the school. Sara had a habit of doing her homework on the grass in front of the entrance, so she wasn't home until later.

Emily searches frantically for her, but there's not a trace of her sister. She frowns, starting to worry and starts running towards William's house.

"Hey what's going on?" Brandon asks with a frown as he catches up with her.

"Sara should've been there, something's wrong" She answers worriedly.

He just nods, and soon enough, they're staring at 260 Valpreno Avenue, a muscle car in front of the garage. Brandon opens his mouth to talk but she shuts him up by dragging him behind a van on the street.

"Shut up. He's there. I need to think". She says forcefully. Her forehead wrinkles up as her brows furrow, she's thinking hard. Maybe if she just walks up to the door, he won't put up a fight. Yeah right, after the car episode, he'll never be civil to her again. No she needs to get inside, her best chance is the back door. But what if he's in the kitchen? She sighs, this is not going to be easy.

After a few moments, her face lightens up and she grins widely at Brandon.

"Listen up, here's the plan: you're going to distract him by ringing the doorbell while I sneak in through the back door. Knowing my sister, she put her stuff downstairs. So I get a hold of her, grab her things and we sneak out. Got it?" She asks, starting to move out from behind the van.

"Hum, yeah but how do I distract him?" He asks, following her.

"Oh boy." She sighs before turning around. "I don't know Brandon, figure it out, you're old enough." She says in a harsh tone.

She crouches on her way around the house and towards the backdoor. Once she's there, she sees a skinny little brunette washing dishes through the window. She doesn't look hurt but exhausted. Emily's heart swells at seeing her sister, but she feels guilty too. She shakes it off when she hears the doorbell and footsteps.

That's her cue and she pushes slowly the door, snakes in and shuts it lightly behind her. Sara looks up and smiles excitedly. Emily can't help but smile back while putting a finger to her lips, motioning for Sara to be quiet. The younger girl nods and takes her sister in her arms. Emily hugs her sister back, still half-crouched, unable to let her go. She hears Brandon's voice rambling about a car accident and phone batteries. Not bad.

It's Sara who pulls away first, after a few seconds, and walks without a sound towards two backpacks and a guitar case under the stairs. Emily feels herself tear up, Sara packed her stuff too. She's on her way to help her sister when she stops dead in her tracks. William turned around and was looking straight at her. His face transformed from shock to anger in an instant.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" He yells towards Emily.

Sara runs back towards her and Emily turns her against her side, holding her with both arms around her shoulders. She looks up to William and tries to soften her face, knowing a confrontation won't go well.

"Look, I'm just here to get my sister and my stuff, just let us go." She pleads sincerely.

"Just shut up and leave. Now!" He emphasized the last word by pointing at the door.

"Not without my sister" She says defiantly, letting go of Sara to face him.

"You little piece of shit! Get out!" He starts aggressively towards the girls.

"Hey! Don't touch them!" Brandon yells at William, taking a few steps in.

William turns around again and his face turns bright red.

"Oh I see, you brought a little friend" he says, sounding a little bit crazy.

In an instant he grabbed a gun from the dresser behind him and pointed it towards Brandon.

"Brandon, get out!" Emily shouts before turning her focus back to William.

"Hey, look we're leaving, no need to start shooting." Emily says softly while moving to stand in front of Sara.

William doesn't answer, he just points the gun towards Emily, sweat dripping from his forehead. He looks straight at her, but still doesn't shoot, like he's fighting for a decision.

Emily puts her hands up, scared, but she tries not to show it. Instead she takes the opportunity to whisper discreetly at Sara, without looking away from William's gaze.

"Sweetie, you need to step back slowly and get out the back door. Find Brandon, tell him to call his mom and hide until they get there." She knows Sara's about to argue, so she adds. "I'll be fine. It'll be easier for me to get out if I'm alone. Now go, I love you."

After what seems like ages, but was only a few seconds, Emily hears Sara's strangled answer: "I love you too." Before hearing her light footsteps and the backdoor shutting behind her.

Emily lets out the breath she was holding. William is still struggling, his eyes going from the gun to her and back. She's contemplating just running to the back door, refusing to die without even trying.

But her plans are interrupted when Stef enters, her own gun pointing to William's back.

"Police! Put the gun down, now!" She yells angrily.

William lets the gun fall before letting himself be cuffed by another police officer and Stef drags him out. Emily, now alone, lets out another breath she's been holding and puts her hands down. She feels the weight of what just happened crash in and with the adrenaline wearing off, she starts shaking. She looks around for something to hold on as tears blur her vision and she feels her legs weaken.

Her knees hit the ground hard and she takes her head in her hands, silently crying.

That's when she feels arms around her. She looks up to see Stef kneeling beside her, her arms around Emily's shoulders, pulling her closer with a reassuring smile on her face.

"It's ok, honey. You're ok. Just let it out." She says softly.

Emily doesn't know why but she lets herself be held, and cries on Stef's shoulder for a few more minutes. It feels warm and safe and she can't bring herself to reject it. She doesn't cry much, and rarely in front of someone else, but she needs to let it out.

She manages to stop and sniffs one last time while getting up.

"I'm sorry". She croaks out.

"No need to. You nearly died, it's a normal reaction." Stef assures her.

"I was terrified, but it's not just that." She pauses, her throat dry and looks up. Stef's watching her intensely, waiting for the rest. Emily sighs, she owes her an explanation for the waterworks. So she tries to make her understand.

"I'm exhausted. It's just my life keeps getting worse and worse and after the past few weeks, I don't think I can handle much more. I try to protect Sara the best I can, but I don't have the energy to fight anymore, and I'm scared she'll get hurt because of it." She finishes with a thick voice, surprising herself with her confession.

Stef nods, seemingly understanding. "Ok, let's get outside. I need to speak with the three of you."

Emily frowns. What is this about? She follows Stef outside the front door. The blonde cop gestures towards Brandon and her sister while she goes to talk to Lena. As she arrives in front of them, Sara crashes into her, tears running down her face. Emily wraps her arms around her younger sister and holds her as close as she can, a teary smile on her face. She kisses the top of her head before stepping back, holding her at arm's length by the shoulders.

She takes in her appearance: she was wearing one of Emily's flannel shirts, which was way too big, on top of a simple white t-shirt and blue jean shorts. She wore low black chucks, Emily's old pair. She looked clean but her bushy brown hair was a mess. She's way too skinny, and has bags under her beautiful blue eyes, just a shade darker than Emily's. Overall, she looked drained, but her amazing smile was still present.

Emily frowns, and mutters "I'm sorry I wasn't there", while pulling her sister for another hug. Sara pulls back and says softly, 'Not your fault." Emily just nods with a smile, feeling the tears creeping up again. She pushes them down as Stef and Lena approach them.

"First of all, I want an explanation. What happened and why were you here?" Stef asks with a low, authoritative voice.

Brandon was about to answer but Emily decides it should be her, so she cuts him off.

"I was in juvie because I smashed William's car with a softball bat. He was hurting Sara and it was the only thing I could think of to make him stop. He used to lose it on me sometimes, when he was drunk, but this was the first time on Sara. So I knew I needed to get her away from him, at all costs.

That's why I cut last period, and went to the bus station. Brandon followed me because he thought I was going to do something to get you guys in trouble. I told him my intentions and he decided to help me. He was supposed to distract William at the front door while I got Sara out with our stuff, but he saw me and all hell broke loose. I didn't know he had a gun." She finished lamely.

Stef turned to Brandon, a severe look on her face. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, all of it". He assured her weakly.

"Well, you're lucky we were able to track Brandon's phone when Lena noticed both of you were missing. We came here as fast as possible, and Brandon, you did well by telling me what was going on, so we were prepared for it." She paused, taking a breath. "That said, next time this type of idea comes up, ask us first. We're adults, we can help." She finished pointedly.

Then she smiled towards Sara.

"Hi, I'm Stef and this is my partner Lena. You must be Sara. How old are you?" She asks while extending her hand to shake Sara's.

The younger girl looked up to Emily, seemingly asking permission. The older teen smiled and nodded. So Sara shook Stef's hand excitedly, with a big smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you. I'm 12."

"Well I'm 42, nice to meet you too." She answers with a warm smile, before looking up to Brandon. "B, can you go wait in the car please? Mama and I need to speak to the girls."

He looks worriedly to Emily but nods and gets in the car.

Lena puts her arm on Stef's lower back, announcing she was speaking for both of them.

"Stef and I just talked and we agree that we can't let you go back to the system. So we decided to foster both of you until Arthur can find you a proper home, one that we would approve of. But only if you want to." She adds reassuringly.

Sara looks up to Emily, waiting for guidance. The blonde is speechless. She just looks to Stef and Lena, not sure she heard correctly. She disobeyed them and put their son in danger, and still they offer her a place in their home. She comes back to reality and nods, on the verge of tears again.

"Thank you". She manages to breathe out while her new foster moms hug her from both sides.

Sara hugs them too, barely keeping her excitement in check at the prospect of a new home, which, judging by her sister's reaction, must be great.

They all get into Lena's station-wagon, Stef driving while Sara's in the back. She chats with Brandon for half the drive, asking him questions about the family, the house, Fillmore and even his relationship status, which made him blush and everyone else laugh. She finally drifts to sleep on Emily's shoulder and is quickly followed by her exhausted sister.


	3. Chapter 3 : Rage, fear and socializing

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for the delay, guys. I had a bit of a writer's block with this one, so please be kind. I blended two chapters in one, so I won't be late on my schedule and the chapter length is the usual.

TW: mentions of child abuse, language and a bit of bullying.

Characters you should check out: The Adams-Fosters family/ Taylor (The Fosters)/ The Liars (PLL)/ Coach Fulton (PLL)/ Arthur Carlin (South of Nowhere)/ Emma Swan (OUAT)/ Skye (Agents of Shield)

Anyway, enjoy and please review!

* * *

 **A week later**

Emily isn't a morning person. Never was, never will be. She hates feeling the pull back to reality, subconsciously knowing she is going to be torn away from her alternate reality where she's a unicorn, an astronaut or simply a happy child.

She has nightmares practically every night, but once she wakes up from them, she can usually get one good dream until the morning. She can escape her problems, torments and feelings and just be somewhere else, someone else. She loves those dreams with a passion and she feels that waking her up is like stealing her away from her "true" life, her happy uncaring self. Of course this isn't reality but she wishes it is so much. Maybe if she believes it enough, one day, she won't have to come back from her wonderland.

But there are nights where she can't shake her nightmares away, they repeat over and over. And over and over she jumps up, panic setting in as her mind can't connect quick enough with reality. So for a few seconds, her nightmare is as real as her. She dreads those nights, being stuck in a loop of terror and getting no rest.

This Sunday night wasn't one of those restless nights, and she was actually having a great dream about high school graduation. The Adams-Fosters, Sara included, were there cheering and clapping for her as she walked up the stage. She was about to receive her diploma, Brandon behind her, when she felt the pull.

She slips into consciousness against her will and feels herself boiling up with anger towards whatever disturbed her bright future.

It was Sara. Jumping on her bed with excitement. She sighs, this was going to be a long day.

"What the hell?" She asks, eyebrows raised in annoyance.

"It's my first day in school! And your second, since you spent last week with me." She states matter-of-factly. "So be excited!" She commanded with a wide grin.

Lena authorized Sara and Emily to take the rest of the week off to heal and spend time together. They caught up on schoolwork and discovered their new town with their foster siblings. Mariana showed them the beach, while Jesus brought them to the forest and showed Emily the quickest route to her favorite Lake. Brandon drove them around Central Park and the important places in Fillmore, like the ice cream parlor. They had a great time and were both grateful to the family for it.

Emily felt her anger slip away. What was an imaginary perfect world compared to that real, genuine smile. Her sister's smile always made her want to fight for it. It was one of the rare things who always calmed her down and gave her hope.

"How are you still excited about first days in school? We change at least twice a year." She asks disbelievingly, but with a smile of her own.

The younger girl shrugs. "You never know, this might be our last. So let's act like normal people and be scared and nervous." She adds, frowning with determination.

Emily shook her head. If there was one thing that Sara wasn't, it's scared or nervous. She loves school and always made a few friends. Unfortunately they never stayed long enough for them to become close, so she lost contact with all of them. Except her best friend in San Francisco, which she called a lot and texted all the time.

"Fine, what time is it anyway?" The blonde remembers she should probably get ready. And she really needs coffee.

"7:30." Sara answers simply, not seeing a problem there.

"Shit!" Emily jumps off the bed and darts to the bathroom, barely sparing a glance to her sister's giggling.

She takes a quick shower, not bothering to wash her hair since she has Physical Education after lunch. She puts on her new clothes, purchased during their shopping trip last week. She bought a whole new wardrobe and even makeup. She used to put some on in San Francisco and she liked the way it made her feel, so she decided to indulge in her bit of luxury. She kept it simple though. She'll never admit it to Sara, but she was a bit excited about her real first day. This time, she had her school stuff and it felt more real. She decided to wear tight black jeans, a grey "School kills my vibe" tank top with a blue flannel shirt on top and of course her golden brown chucks.

She grabs her worn out black backpack and settles it on her right shoulder before going downstairs. She has 5 minutes left to drink coffee.

She enters the kitchen, where everyone's talking about school. She silently takes a cup of coffee and gulps the hot liquid down as fast as she can.

"No need to burn yourself, love. You can take a few minutes." Stef tells her softly, before leaving the kitchen. "I'm leaving guys, see you tonight!" The kids barely notice, still enthralled in their debate over lunch systems.

"Be careful" Lena yells over the noise, a concerned look on her face.

Stef turns around, a loving smile on her lips "Always". She walks out the door.

They keep at it until Lena rushes everyone to the cars, barely on time. Brandon had his license, and with the two additional members of the family, they bought an old beat up blue SUV for him, and the kids after.

The teenagers all got in the blue SUV, feeling way cooler than riding with their mom. The boys were in front and the girls in the back. The first day, an argument about the seating arrangements broke out and even Emily shared her opinion on it. But in the end, a point about size won, Jesus being taller than the girls, thus needing more space.

Emily was torn out of her thoughts by Jesus.

"Cool shirt, where did you get it?" He asked, genuinely smiling.

She smiled back, feeling a bit of pride at her choice of tank top for her first real day in school.

"A music shop at the mall. At first I just went in to check out their guitar strings, I needed new ones. And then I saw rows of t-shirts and tank tops with funny and sarcastic sentences. They were cheap so I bought a few. I'll show you next time." She answers happily. She really loved that shop.

Brandon scoffs at the wheel. "Must be a real serious music shop if they have to sell goodies to make business."

Emily frowns and is about to reply when she's cut off by Mariana's angry tone.

"Just because they're not all uptight about music, doesn't mean they're bad. It just means they let their creativity wonder. It's not constricted to a genre or a type of lifestyle." She scolds him. "I think your top is nice too. I wouldn't wear it though, it's not my style. But it's fun." She adds, still very serious, towards Emily.

"Thanks, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm very impressed and a bit scared of your smartness. Seriously, you hide it well." Emily says half-jokingly.

Mariana just nods, barely holding in her smile as she cocks her head up in mock pride. The girls chuckle at their foster sister's antics.

"See Brandon, don't have to be a dick about music all the time." Jesus teases him.

"Hey! Language!" Mariana scolds Jesus now, but she soon smiles with the rest of her siblings, all very amused by her newfound authority.

The remaining of the short car drive is spent in silence, but it's enough for Emily's thoughts to take a darker turn. She spent a great week with the Adams-Fosters, she was now sure they were good people and she should be able to relax. But every time she has what looks like a potential family, it all turns to ashes for one reason or another. After she lost Abigail, the first foster mother who actually acted like one towards her, she vowed to never get as comfortable again. She broke that promise in San Francisco and she's feeling herself breaking it again now. She needs to remind herself that for her, it'll never end well. Hope is the most hurtful thing there is, because it's deceitful and you're not prepared for your world crumbling down. It doesn't seem to hurt as much if you're prepared.

They arrive at school just in time for their classes. Emily silently guides Sara to the middle school building before rushing towards the high school one. She enters Mr. Fitz's classroom right as the bell rang, still focused on her impending doom, and bumps into a smaller blonde, wearing an expensive summer yellow dress, matching heels and a luxury handbag. She's about to apologize when the girl cuts her off sharply.

"Hey! Watch it weirdo!" She spits venomously.

Emily is so not in the mood. "You shouldn't stay in the door frame if you don't want to be pushed by "weirdoes", fucking Barbie." She answers angrily, walking past her.

"What did you just say to me?" the girl asks, genuinely shocked.

She managed to find a seat on the right side of the class, by the window.

"I said you look like a Barbie, seriously this is high school, not the Paris Fashion Week" A few students chuckle at that, but most just seem to hold their breaths.

Barbie is about to answer when Mr. Fitz interrupts.

"Okay that's enough. Allison sit down, class is starting". He says pointedly.

Allison sits down a couple of tables on her right, her reserved place it seems. She's circled by her posse, who look very uneasy as she whispers to them.

The rest of the class was uneventful, Emily successfully blocking the annoying whispers coming from her right, but not the whispers in her head, reminding her she can't trust anyone, that she'll be abandoned again soon, or she'll manage to fuck it up somehow.

When the bell rings again, she darts out the classroom, needing fresh air. Once she's standing outside the building, breathing deeply, she feels a hand on her shoulder. As a reflex, she turns immediately, bringing her fists up at chest level, about to defend herself when she sees Lena's soft smile.

"Hey." Emily says, letting her hands fall and calming down, but still in a bad mood.

"Hey. I did Sara's paperwork this morning, and I noticed her last name is Greene, but yours is Finnegan, right?"

She nods, knowing where this is going.

"Why are they different?" She asks, brows furrowed.

She shrugs, a bit annoyed by the prying. "Dunno. I asked Artie once, he told me he had no idea. It wasn't in my file."

"That's it? Arthur didn't look any further?" Lena presses on.

"Well it's not like he could ask my parents." She says bitterly.

"Why? What happened?" Lena asks, a concerned look in her eyes.

Emily turns from annoyed to angry as she recalls her biological parents. It's a touchy subject for her and she hasn't discussed it with anyone since Artie became her social worker, two years ago. Not even with Sara, so she's sure as hell isn't going to with a woman she met a week ago.

Despite her rage boiling up, she's trying to figure a way out of answering without offending Lena. She's literally saved by the bell.

"It's a long story. Sorry I gotta go to class." Emily says, trying to look apologetic. She starts towards her next class.

Lena simply answers with an "Ok" before also returning inside the building and walking towards her office.

By the end of 4th period, she's famished. She managed to keep herself calm throughout the morning but she was looking forward to P.E after lunch. She needed to let some steam off.

Once she gets her tray, she sits down in the far end of the cafeteria at an empty table. Her mind is still racing, trying to convince her to keep her guard up. But she can hear that little voice, in the very back of her head, trying to argue that this may be it. Her internal bickering is interrupted by a familiar male voice.

"Hey you ok?" She looks up to see a concerned Jesus sitting across from her.

"Yeah, why?" She answers more forcefully than she wanted to.

"You're eating at a normal speed and your hands are shaking" He points out, matter-of-factly.

She sighs and looks down at her half empty plate of chicken and mash.

"So what's going on? Maybe I can help." He says with a warm smile, trying to open his yoghurt.

She looks up at him suspiciously, searching for his intentions. She had foster brothers offering help before, but let's just say it wasn't free, so now she's being careful. The only reason she accepted Brandon's help is because she didn't have time to shake him off, that and her sister's safety was at stake.

But for the past week, Jesus has been nothing but kind. Sure he teased her a lot, but it was friendly and it actually made her feel accepted.

She finally answers, deciding not to lie but she's not going to share her inner turmoil with him either. She doesn't want to burden him.

"No you can't. But thanks for your concern. Don't you have friends to eat with? I know I'm the coolest person you ever met but still, they might get jealous." She smiles teasingly at him, starting to eat again.

He grins widely at that, seemingly reassured about her state.

"Presumptuous much? I'm just doing my good deed for the day, that's all." He answers playfully, before turning serious again.

"Sometimes, when my mind is racing and I can't focus, my hands start shaking too. I basically space out, unable to pay attention to anything, jumping from a thought to another, it's like I'm on drugs or something. It's annoying and I take a pill to go back to normal. I hate it." He pauses there, an angry look in his eyes. Emily knows it well, he feels like it's unfair. "It just makes me feel like I'm not normal, you know? And I thought something similar was up with you, so I came over to see if I could help." He explains.

Emily softens up. "No, it's nothing like that, don't worry. I've got something on my mind that's all. I would usually go swimming to clear my head, or at least go for a run. Maybe after school, depending on what P.E is like."

"That's why you asked about the lake". He realizes. "So you cope with sport, huh?" She nods, her mouth full of cheesecake.

He looks thoughtful for a few seconds. "I might try that, instead of the pills. It could work."

" Sure, won't hurt to try. But clear it with your moms and doctor first. They'll know if it's safe or not. And they'll help with the transition too."

"Yes, mother." He teases her.

She glares at him, faking annoyance while taking a sip of her water.

"So you're kind of a jock. Is that how you got that scar? Playing some kind of sport?" He points to the long jagged scar on her right forearm, currently holding the bottle of water.

She tenses, feeling uneasy, and puts the bottle down. "No, I, hum…" She puts her sleeve over the scar, suddenly needing to cover it up.

"Hey, I'm sorry. You don't have to say, it's ok." He looks at her like she's a wounded animal on the side of the road.

She holds his gaze a while, not knowing what to say. She hates talking about herself or her painful memories. It brings back the undying pain of the events and makes people look at her with such pity, just like Jesus is doing.

It's that look that she hates. It makes her feel weak and fragile, like the frightened kid who wasn't able to defend herself. And she knows she shouldn't blame herself for most of the shit that happened to her, but she can't help it. She should have found a way to do more.

She sighs, deciding if she wants to move on someday, she needs to be brave enough to put it in words. Talking helps, or so Arthur told her. And Jesus won't bother her with it after wards, it's not his style.

"It was a hay hook." Her voice is barely over a whisper. She clears her throat, and continues with a newfound determination.

"My second foster home was in a farm, we were 5 kids. Our foster father was a bastard who made us do chores around the farm after school and at weekends. We were basically free workers for him." She pauses, wondering how much she should tell him. Jesus looks at her with an attentive frown, pity gone. She nods to herself, he's listening.

"He would beat us up if we didn't finish our workloads and one day, my friend Emma and I were late putting back all the tools in the barn. He barged in angry as hell, and slapped me across the face. I was like, 9, so I basically flew across the floor. Em tried to apologize for us, to make him calm down. He got even angrier and grabbed one of the rusty hooks the adults used to manipulate the hay bales. I got back to my feet and ran back to them. Em was looking him in the eyes, defying him even though she couldn't do anything. I admired her for that afterwards, still do actually." She pauses shortly before getting back to her tale, finding it easier with each syllable for some reason.

"He was about to slash her across the cheek, so I tried to grab it from him. It was sort of a reflex, but I failed and it caught in my forearm." She takes a breath, this was the really painful part.

"Instead of pulling it back, he grabbed my throat and pushed me against the wall. He slammed my arm, with the hook still in it, over my head and proceeded to cut it deeper and across my whole forearm. I screamed, but he tightened his grip around my throat and I couldn't breathe anymore, so I definitely couldn't continue my screaming. I also trashed around, trying to escape, but it just made the hook snag in the cut. Which hurt like a bitch. He let me down, threatening my face next time I defy him and we went to bed. Em cleaned the wound and stitched it. It was her first attempt at stitching, that's why it looks so bad." She couldn't keep the sadness from her smile. She looked at Jesus expectantly, not knowing what kind of reaction he'll have.

"And was he arrested for it?" He asks, frowning.

"No, we didn't say anything. My social worker at the time didn't even notice the injury. He was arrested later on for something different and we were moved to another home." She states simply.

"Dude that's messed up." He pauses, looking directly at her. Emily is a bit uneasy at the scrutiny but she figures he doesn't know how to respond and tries to assess her mood.

So she smiles and grabs the chocolaty snack left unattended on his tray.

"Hey! That's mine!" He glares at her, before understanding what she was doing and relaxing.

She tosses it back to him. "Then eat it already. I'm done here, just waiting for you."

He grins at her, while unwrapping his snack. "So I suppose you're not a big Captain Hook fan?"

She can't help but chuckle lightly. Of course, that would be on top of his questions.

She smiles gratefully at him, he didn't make this a big deal. "No, not really. And anyway the guy is a creep. He's obsessed with a kid and wears a big-ass wig. I'm team crocodile."

Jesus smiles, chocolate all over his teeth. "Yeah, you're right. He sucks."

They sit in a comfortable silence for the remaining of his dessert. When he's finished they part ways and she goes to the gym. She changes in a stall, not comfortable revealing her body to her classmates. She quickly puts on a pair of grey track pants, a sports bra and a comfy white t-shirt. She also puts on her black running shoes and ties her hair up in a messy bun.

She comes out and sits on the bleachers, waiting for her teacher. The other classmates arrive group by group and soon enough, the bell rings. Coach Fulton comes out and stands in front of class. Just as she's about to start calling the roll, Allison and her friends arrive and take place at the center of the bleachers.

"That was very close girls, be careful." Coach warns them.

Allison ignores the teacher and whispers quite loudly. "It's all about the entrance you see".

Emily can't help herself and snorts loudly. The impeccably dressed blonde is about to answer something when Coach starts calling names. So Allison can only shoot daggers at her.

Emily puts up her arms up in mock surrender and then proceeds to ignore her.

When Coach is done, they can all choose what they want to do, since it's the end of the year. Emily chooses track. She really needs to run. She starts at a mild pace, trying to focus on not tiring herself out by sprinting. Although she really wishes she could run as fast as she can.

When there's only 10 minutes left of class, she decides to let go. She stops thinking about her speed and just focuses on the blissful sensation of her legs running on their own, the wind in her face. She runs as fast as she can, completely oblivious to the world around her and her classmates watching her as she finishes laps after laps. She lets her built up rage take over, her mind focusing on the pain coming as she'll be thrown out of the Adams-Fosters, and reminiscing about all the people who promised her shelter and love before abandoning her.

She hears the sound of a whistle and stops abruptly, just realizing she was out of breath. She also didn't realize she was crying. She hears footsteps coming to a halt beside her. She quickly wipes her tears away, feeling her cheeks getting hotter, if that was possible. It seems she's too late, judging by the questioning look the brunette gives her.

"Ok girls that was incredible. Please consider applying to the track team next year, you'd be great assets." Coach tells them as they get back to the bleachers under the impressed comments of their peers.

Emily snorts in her head. Like she's going to join in a school activity. If she's even here next year. She feels her rage creeping up again. Her thoughts are interrupted by Allison's high-pitched voice.

"Next time you'll get her Em. Don't worry."

The brunette doesn't answer and keeps staring at Emily. The blonde shakes her head at the comment.

Finally they're dismissed. Since she doesn't have any more classes today, she changes quickly and just grabs her stuff before coming back to the bleachers to do her homework until she can ride back with Brandon. She's quickly distracted by a group of teens sitting together and talking about prom. Prom… She didn't even remember it was prom season. They're there talking and laughing, their biggest issue being if their clothes will match. She never realized how insane her life has been, going from bad to worst since as far as she can remember. She never realized how much she wished to just fit in, to have someone to love and take care of her, a couple of friends and simple worries like prom.

She had that once, with Abigail. She lived with her for about 2 years, with Emma and Skye. They were happy and safe and they were family. And then, she died in a fucking car accident and her world came crashing down again. What the fuck?! It's like the universe hates her or something.

She sighs, angry again. All this brooding is pretty new. She used to accept things as they were, going from one shit show to another and fighting her way through without question. But she's tired of fighting for a lost cause. She's just really tired.

The bell rings again and she packs up her stuff, trying to cheer up for her sister. She goes to the middle school building, spotting Sara talking with a girl her age.

"Hey Sara, ready to go?" She asks with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, sure. This is Taylor, we're together in English." Sara introduces her new friend.

"Hi Taylor, I'm Emily, Sara's big sister. It's super nice to meet you." She extends her hand for the younger girl who shakes it with a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you too. Bye Sara, see you tomorrow!" She says excitedly.

"Bye !" Sara yells while they're going back to the high school building.

"I just need to grab a few things from my locker, this way." She guides her through the hallway to her locker. Sara starts chirping about her first day and her new friend Taylor. Emily just nods, smiling at her enthusiasm while stuffing books in her backpack.

"Hey" They're interrupted by the same brunette who ran with Emily earlier.

"I'm Emily Fields. I'm sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to say that you were amazing out there. And I'm sorry for Allison, she can be a bit…" The brunette seems to hesitate.

"Bitchy?" The blonde Emily answers with a cheeky smile.

Sara nudges her. "Language" She scolds with a smile. The brunette laughs at the girls.

"Em, why are you talking to that freak?" Allison came out of nowhere and was suddenly standing beside Emily Fields. The rest of her posse behind.

Emily frowns and unconsciously moves in front of her sister.

"Back off, man. And go home." She says in a tired voice.

Allison takes a threatening step towards the taller blonde. "You don't get to tell me to do anything, freak." She looks her up and down. "School kills your vibe huh? And what vibe is that, the hobo vibe?" She laughs humorlessly.

Emily clenches her fists, about to answer, when she saw a smaller body moving in front of her.

"Leave my sister alone!" Sara yells at her, making herself as tall as possible.

"Oh, the freak has a little sister to defend her. How sweet!" Allison clasps her hands in front of her like an adult would do in front of a cute child. "Tell me, is it true that your parents abandoned you? After your sister here, your ugly face must've been too much for them. It's understandable…"

Her rant is cut off by Emily, who grabs her by the collar and slams her against the locker, holding her tight. Allison lets out a small surprised scream. The other girls move closer, a panicked look in their eyes but don't intervene.

The blondes' faces are inches apart when Emily says in a low dangerous voice, her eyes glowing with rage. "If you ever talk or even look at my sister again, I'll end you."She pauses. "For good". She finishes as a whisper in her ear.

She's interrupted by Lena's voice. Turns out one of the girls went to get help.

"Emily, let her go." And she does, reluctantly. She's still glaring at her though.

"She insinuated our parents left us because of Sara. You can't say shit like that to anyone, it's wrong. Sara's been through enough without having to listen to that crap." She says forcefully, her blood still boiling.

"You're right, it's wrong. But you can't shove people against lockers either." She turns towards the other girls. "Go home. There will be no punishment for anyone. But Allison if you ever pull something like that again, you'll be suspended." Allison is about to reply but Lena cuts her off. "Go, now !"

Allison and her posse move towards the exit, Emily Fields looking apologetically at the blonde. When they're at the entrance, Allison turns back and yells across the hall. "You'll pay for this, Freak"

Emily frowns and yells back "Go back to your dollhouse, Barbie."

"Enough! Let's go. I'm taking both of you home. And we'll talk about this." Lena orders forcefully.

The three of them exit the building together.


	4. Chapter 4 : It's not the end

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay, again. Turns out, keeping a schedule is harder than you'd think. No new characters here, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing triggering here, except maybe language, as usual. Please let me know what you think, good or bad.

* * *

Enjoy !

"Hey. Are you ok ?"

Emily doesn't look up from her homework. "Yeah, of course. Why ?"

"You're lying." Sara accuses her.

Now she looks up from her text book and looks suspiciously at her sister on the other side of their bedroom.

"Why would you say that ?"

"So you don't deny it." An angry undertone to her voice.

Emily just sighs. "Maybe I am. But what makes you think I'm not fine ?"

"You went swimming every night since the incident with Allison, and you only go swimming if something's bothering you. I'm sure it's not the whole grounded thing, you didn't even fight it. So what is it?" She asks, genuinely concerned.

"It's nothing." She gets up at that, suddenly feeling restless. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all".

She knows she hasn't convinced her. Fuck, even her lying was getting weak.

"Bullshit. Just tell me, you know I won't judge you."

Emily smiles internally at her sisters' swearing. It's a very rare occurrence.

"No swearing, remember ?" She scolds.

"And no lying, remember ?" Sara snaps back.

Emily shakes her head. God that kid is growing up fast.

"Fine. It's no big deal." She moves towards the open attic window. "But not here, come on." She quickly climbs the wooden windowsill and lies down on the roof on the other side. It's not very steep there so there's no risk of falling. She waits until Sara is sitting cross-legged beside her.

"It's just that I'm scared." She admits, looking at the stars above their heads.

"Scared of what ? You're never scared." Sara asks, keeping her voice low but panic evident in her tone.

"Of losing this place, this…family." She sighs. "I don't know if I can keep settling in and starting to be happy right before it's torn away."

"Ok, I get it. But it doesn't mean you should stop trying." She looks at her older sister pleadingly.

"But what's the point of making a life for ourselves here, when we both know we'll be moved again soon, probably to a group home or with horrible people." The blonde argues back, frowning.

"You don't know that. Stef and Lena said they won't let us go until we have a good home that they approve of. And I trust them."

"Well, I don't." There it was. The simple and absolute truth. She couldn't trust them.

"What ?" Sara asks, disbelieving.

"I don't trust them. I really want to but I can't, not after San Francisco." She sits up to look into her sisters eyes, begging her to understand.

"I know that Katie putting us back in the system hurt you. It hurt me too." Sara pauses there, reminding her sister she isn't alone. "But she didn't have a choice, she lost her job and couldn't afford two kids depending on her, you know that."

"It's not just her. It's everyone, even before we were together, people always sent me back. Whether I was good or not. Whether they were nice or not. Whether I trusted them or not." She can feel tears burning her eyes and wipes them quickly away. "I just can't do it anymore, it hurts too damn much." She finishes simply, a sad smile on her lips.

Sara takes her older sister in her arms, hugging her as tightly as her small frame allows her to.

"I understand, but do you trust me ?"

Emily nods into the hug and whispers "of course".

"Well I trust them. They're different. So just try, please try for me. And if all goes to hell, at least you have tried. I know you're going through a hard time, but I also know you'll regret it if you just give up on something that could be good. You're life isn't over, not yet."

Emily is sobbing at that point. So she just nods into her sister's shoulder, letting herself be held and comforted. They stay that way for a few minutes before Mariana calls them for diner. So they both move and get back silently inside.

Emily pulls her sister back into a tight hug before they pass the doorframe.

"Thank you" She simply whispers in her ear.

"Whenever, Emmi." She fully smiles to the blonde who smiles back, she always loved the nickname.

They both take their usual places around the kitchen island. Brandon hands Emily the spinach while making a face. She laughs lightly at him before taking the bowl and pouring herself a good portion to go with her fish sticks.

"I don't understand why you want to find her. She's nothing to us." Jesus says angrily, while stabbing a poor fish stick.

"Because she birthed us. I want to... I don't know, see where I come from. Aren't you curious ?" Mariana answers, frowning.

"About a woman who abandoned us ? No." He snaps back.

"Guys, there's no need to argue about this. If Mariana wants to meet her birth mother, we'll arrange it. And Jesus, you don't have to meet her if you don't want to, it's fine." Stef intervened.

The twins silently nod, still tense.

"Anyway, Mama and I have an announcement." She takes Lena's hand and looks at her with a loving smile.

The younger woman clears her throat, a smile of her own.

"We're getting married"

Everybody freezes, eyes locked on their moms. Emily is the first to regain her composure.

"Really ? That's awesome. Do you already have a date planned?" She asks with a genuine smile before taking another bite of fish.

"Who's going to be your maids of honor ?" Mariana asks excitedly.

"Can I be one ?" Jesus adds playfully.

"I'm really happy for you guys. I always wondered why you didn't do it before." Brandon inquires.

Stef is about to answer but she's cut by Sara's small voice. "It was illegal until recently."

Everyone looks at her, startled. Emily silently chuckles before explaining.

"She tried to marry me to a friend once. I had to explain that we couldn't because we weren't 18 and we were two girls."

Everyone smiles at that and the conversation continues about dates, dresses, organization.  
After dinner, Emily stays to help with the dishes.

"You said the wedding would be soon. How soon ?" She asks Lena, a concerned look on her face.

"I don't know, sweetie. Why ?"

"I just hope we'll still be here for it. I mean, Sara seems really happy about it and I don't want her to miss it." She adds quickly, not sure why. She didn't want to miss it either.

"You're not going anywhere right now. And even if Arthur finds you a good home, you'll still be invited." Stef answers, a warm smile on her face. "After all, how could I have a wedding without my maid of honor ?"

Emily swallows, not sure that she heard right. "What ?"

"I'm asking you to be my maid of honor, if you want to of course."

"Hum, yeah, sure." She slowly nods and tries to smile. "But... What does a maid of honor do exactly ?" She asks in a high pitched tone.

Stef chuckles lightly. "Don't worry you'll be fine. Just a speech to make."

Emily starts to panic internally, but manages to choke out "ok, good night" to her grinning foster mothers before going back up to get ready for bed.

* * *

"Well done, Emily. I have to say I'm really impressed. I wouldn't even know you missed half of the lessons just reading your copy." Mr. Fitz tells her while handing over her paper, with a big circled red A on it.

"Thanks". She genuinely smiles at him before eagerly reviewing it for notes and remarks.

"You too Spencer, you did really well, considering." Emily sees a red circled B on the blondes' paper and smiles at her. The girl smiles back before the bell rings.

"Ok, everyone have a great summer. Remember to read books, any book I don't care. Just. Read." He finishes pointedly.

Emily starts walking towards her locker, feeling lighter than the past few weeks. She only has a few days left of school before summer vacation. Since she managed to keep her excellent grades throughout the year, she doesn't have summer school. So she's making plans with her siblings and there's even a camping trip planed for August, she's really looking forward to that.

She gets to her locker and opens it with her code.

"Hey" a disembodied voice says behind her.

Emily jumps in surprise. She didn't expect someone to talk to her. Let alone that someone being Alison Dilaurentis.

She composes herself and turns around, a frown in place, ready to face her. "What do _you_ want ?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said to your sister."

She eyes her suspiciously, this isn't what she expected. After a while, she still doesn't answer so the smaller blonde continues.

"I know you don't like me and I don't like you either, but we won't have to stand each other for too long anymore. See you around." She adds with a devilish smile.

Emily assumes the girl is talking about the end of the school year, but she's still acting weird. "Yeah, right."

Still a bit shaken with the unexpected encounter, she goes to class as the bell rings.

It's A.P Calculus and she likes it. The lesson goes smoothly, she understands well and she even answered the teachers' question.

But of course this Monday morning was going too well, an A, an apology and a good math lesson... It's too much for her karma.

As she's going to her locker again, she's blocked by a crowd of students in the hallway. She spots Mariana in the front and elbows her way through to her.

"Hey, what's going on ?"

"There was a tip about drugs in a locker here. I'm so screwed..." She answers fear evident in her voice.

"Why ? Do you have drugs in your locker?" Emily asks, an eyebrow raised and a smirk pulling at her lips.

"No, well..." She stood on her tiptoes to whisper in the blondes ear. "I might have stolen a couple of Jesus's pills."

"Why ?" She asks, amused by her foster sister's criminal tendencies.

"I needed cash, ok ?!" She snaps at her before lowering he voice again. "Will they find them ?"

"No, their dog isn't trained for pills." She smiles at the relief on the brunettes' features. "But you really should stop. You're going to get caught, it's way too obvious." She warns.

"So how can I get cash fast ?"

Emily is about to suggest a job, selling things found in trash or stealing, but cleverly. Only the dog is around her locker and she has a bad feeling about it. He sniffs at her locker a couple of times before barking loudly.

"Who's locker is this ?" The police officer asks the crowd.

She's torn between stepping forward or running for her life. The decision is made for her though when a certain blonde points at her and yells "it's hers !"

The police officer walks towards Emily and grabs her arm. "Come on"

She can see Mariana opening her mouth to argue but she shakes her head with pleading eyes. She can barely see her nod before the officer forcefully drags her towards her locker.

"Open up" He says angrily.

"Don't you need a parent present for that ?" Of course Mariana wouldn't shut up.

"What parent ? She doesn't have any" Allison replies with a smirk.

"She has me Ms Dilaurentis, and I'll be seeing you in my office right after I've dealt with this." Lena appears in front of the students, anger radiating from her. "And you are officer... ?"

"Chester, Paul Chester. My partner here is Rick Davies. You're principal gave us the authorization to search and take the necessary measures if needed."

"And you thought that gave you the right to search a minor's personal affairs without a parent of faculty member present ?" She retorts.

Chester smirks. "Well you're here now, so let's go, open it. "He gestures towards her locker. Emily gulps, she's sure it's a trap, and she's pretty sure she knows who's behind it.

She checks towards Lena who nods at her. So she opens it, and scans it's content. At first sight there's nothing out of the ordinary, but she still can't relax. Chester pushes her aside and starts rummaging through her stuff. After a few seconds, he pulls out a small plastic bag filled with white powder.

For fuck sake, it's heroin. She's sure of it. She glares angrily at Allison, who just looks at her smugly. She's about to throw herself on her and ask for answers but she's grabbed by officer Chester and thrown against the lockers. She has the reflex of putting her hands up to avoid her head smashing against the metal first. He keeps a hold of her by her collar while patting her down with his other hand.

She can hear everyone gasp and Lena's voice behind her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing ?! A _female_ officer should be doing that !" She yells at them.

Emily manages to turn her head and sees the partner talking to her quietly.

"What's your name ?" Chester asks her while he grabs her backpack.

"Emily Finnegan" she answers angrily, her body still towards the locker.

Chester throws the backpack at his partner who barely catches it and slams her against the lockers again, pressing harder than before.

He whispers in her ear, clearly enraged.  
"You're James Greene's brat, right ? The one who caught the authorities attention and got him arrested for drug dealing ? Well guess what, you're the reason I'm not a detective anymore, you stupid bitch."

Her eyes go wide, she's really in trouble with that guy. When the hospital called the social services on her father, they discovered his drug activities and he was arrested. They also discovered that he paid a few corrupt cops to protect his business. They didn't convict any for lack of proof, but they must have been punished in a way. Paul Chester must be one of those cops.

He cuffs her, locking them as hard as he can around her wrists. She slightly winces, fighting not to show her pain.

"Emily Finnegan, you're under arrest for drug possession in a public location. You have the right to remain silent, if you do say anything it can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have a lawyer present during any questioning. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed for you if you so desire." Chester tells her robotically while dragging her through the hall.

She shoots daggers at Allison right before being pushed through the main doors and shoved in a police cruiser.

She looks at the school and mainly Lena on the front steps, tears in her eyes.

Well, her life is shitty. And this shouldn't have surprised her, everything crumbles down at some point. And at least, this time Sara's safe.  
But she doesn't feel as resigned as she thought she would. She's actually really angry. So, as she sets her eyes on Lena's teary ones, she decides that this isn't the end.

Enough moping.

It's time to fight again. Starting with officer fucking Chester.


End file.
